Hybrid Sequence 0.003
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

 

my second from this special collaboration series with freigeist. this is done with bacchus grapes in a coferment situation, wild and spontaneous, oak aged, glory. this is a white grape, one i am not familiar with, but it has a riesling aspect to it, herbaceous and a little sweet. like the first beer in this series, this one smells a lot more lactic and acetic and sour than it drinks, sharp in the nose, tannic and pungent and almost abrasive, but through that there is almost lambic funkiness, iodine and minerals, lots of wheat i reckon, and a sparkling champagne regal quality as well. the flavor is awesome, less intense than the nose, and super grape driven, green skinny tart grape, green pear, gooseberry, golden raisin sweetness, rich vanilla from the oak, tons of brett, clean acidity, a light saltiness even, which i also got in the first one, and a little bit of cereal grain pushing through keeping it beery. its really complex and it warms up well, dusty german pils character underneath the fruit too, a freshness and a maturity at the same time, loads of grape in here and a unique bit of terroir along with it. really incredibly different than the first one, not just because of the grapes, but perhaps also because of the yeasts that thrive on them, which have to be relatively unique from one another. impressive beer here, i hope to be able to find and afford the rest of the beers in this series, these two have been absolute gems!